CebuPac adds more HK flights, AirAsia returns to Clark

MANILA, Philippines - Budget airline Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) is set to beef up its flights to Hong Kong after the successful conclusion of air talks between the Philippines and Hong Kong.

This developed as low cost carrier giant AirAsia Berhad returned to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga through the launch of flights to Kuala Lumpur.

Jorenz Tañada, vice president for corporate affairs of Cebu Pacific, said the budget airline has filed an application for additional seat entitlements to Hong Kong before the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).

“Cebu Pacific will request for additional seat entitlements to allow us to upgrade and increase our existing daily Airbus A320 services to Hong Kong. The increase in air rights will allow Cebu Pacific to add flights to Hong Kong, in support of the Department of Tourism’s Visit Philippines program in 2015,” he said.

Cebu Pacific currently operates seven flights daily to Hong Kong from Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Iloilo.

On Wednesday, CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla accounced that Philippines and Hong Kong inked a new air service agreement doubling the seating capacity to 30,000 per week from the current level of 15,000 per week to accommodate higher air traffic.

 “The last air talks were held in 2008. It is hoped that the new agreement will usher in a new era of growth in the bilateral aviation relationship between the Philippines and Hong Kong, especially that the irritants that stood in the way if growth have simmered down,” Arcilla said.

Apart from the 100 percent increase in seating capacity, Arcilla said both countries agreed on unlimited capacity in all international airports in the Phiippines outside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

He pointed out that the previous agreement only allowed 4,300 seats per week to Clark.

The air pact with Hong Kong was the 9th air services agreement signed by the Philippine air negotiating panel this year. It has so far signed air pacts with Ethiopia, South Africa, Macau, Canada, Myanmar, New Zealand, Singapore and France since the start of the year.

The CAB official said the air panel is scheduled to hold air talks with Malaysia and Australia this year.

The Aquino administration is pursuing more air talks as part of its open skies policy under Executive Order 29. The administration aims to double tourist arrivals to 10 million by 2016 from about 5.7 million this year. Last year, tourist arrivals grew by 9.56 percent year-on-year to 4.68 million.